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Hurdles to come: But Deeney is coping with expectation (Image: Ben Hoskins)

He said: “It’s nice to hear people talking about England, but my first priority is to make sure I stay in the team here or I’ll find myself sitting next to the gaffer on the bench for a few weeks.

“There’s a lot of expectation around me, but it’s all about the team.

“We’ve had to stop initiation ceremonies for new players – we used to have a sing-song and make them nervous – but we were getting a new player every week so we had to be careful not to scare a few people off.

“I’ve turned soft. Now, if it’s your birthday, you just bring some cakes in for the lads.”

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Premier League weekend preview

Watford go to ­Bournemouth on Saturday in a clash of last season’s Championship top two, but any lingering rivalry has been dispersed by Cherries striker Callum Wilson’s serious knee-ligament injury, which could rule him out for the season.

Deeney sent his crocked counterpart a get-well message this week – a gesture ­appreciated by fellow professionals as a mark of respect.

Still skipper: Deeney has seen 16 new players come in (Image: Richard Heathcote)

He said: “Callum’s a nice guy – I just wished him all the best because he had started the season on fire and he could have been in with a shout for an England call-up in this ­international break or the next one.

“That sort of injury can happen to anyone, and I just sent him a message out of common decency because he has got a young family and it could hit him in a hard way.

Hammer blow: Wilson is among Premier League's top scorers this season (Image: Malcolm Couzens)

“I just thought it would be nice to text him and let him know the wider football family is thinking about him.

“And it would be incredibly naive to think that just because Callum’s not playing, it’s a guaranteed three points for us.

“They have suffered unfortunate injuries to the three boys (Wilson, Tyrone Mings and Max Gradel), but there is more to Bournemouth than just them.

“They have started well and stuck to their principles. They have a very good structure from the youth groups up to the first team, and have brought in experience.’’